1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of flexible hand-held pads for household and light commercial use, such as cleaning, waxing, rubbing, polishing and application of liquids and semi-liquids to surfaces.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In the past, hand held pads including sponges typically have a rectangular or oblong shape, and are limited to two usable surfaces. The two surfaces will be referred to as the first face and second face. Sometimes, the first face is formed from a first component and the second face is formed from a second component, which are then affixed or adhered to each other. Alternatively, each face may be formed from a layer of material that covers a core component, or several layers of material that are laminated together.
The first face often may be formed and/or covered with a different material than the second face. The choice of material on each face depends on the desired characteristics such as texture, resiliency, absorbency and abrasiveness, to accomplish different functions for cleaning, waxing, rubbing, application of liquids and similar household and/or commercial applications.
Examples of hand-held pads include those shown in the following U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 2,906,643 discloses a composite cellular structure made of a polyurethane foam layer chemically bonded to a layer of regenerated cellulose sponge. U.S. Pat. No. 3,377,643 discloses a similar pad structure. U.S. Pat. No. 2,804,728 discloses a sponge having one face with a mesh of an abrasive material partially embedded therein. U.S. Pat. No. 2,885,703 discloses a similar structure. U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,718 discloses a combination cleaning pad with two substantially parallel faces and an abrasive region that covers only part of one of the faces. U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,633 discloses a cleaning pad that fits tightly inside a sleeve or outer covering. U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,129 discloses a sponge having a flat washing face and a round back side with a notch for the user""s finger to fit into.
However, the lateral surfaces between the faces of the hand-held pads described above are not particularly useful or functional for cleaning, waxing, rubbing, polishing, application of liquids or semi-liquids, or related work. One attempt to provide a pad with additional useful cleaning surfaces is U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,034, which discloses a sponge having one soft face, an opposing abrasive face, and projecting peaks around the peripheral sides. There also have been attempts to add useable surfaces in sponge mops in which a sponge or similar pad is attached to an elongated handle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,356 discloses a sponge attached to a handle, the sponge having four flat side wiping surfaces, and a fifth surface at the end attached to the handle. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,171,152 and 5,596,786 disclose sponge mops in which the sponge has a triangular cross section that can be rotated to permit use any of three surfaces.
A simple, economical, long-lasting hand-held pad is needed with additional faces that may be used for cleaning, waxing, rubbing, polishing, application of liquids or semi-liquids. Such a pad is needed for reaching corners and crevices. A pad also is needed that is easy to hold. Further, a pad is needed that may have different textures, absorbency, and abrasiveness on each face thereof.
The present invention is a simple, economical, long-lasting hand-held pad with at least four non-parallel usable faces for cleaning, waxing, rubbing, polishing or the application of liquids or semi-liquids. Each face is on a non-parallel, or intersecting, plane to each other face. Each face is tapered from a first, wide end to a second, narrow end. The second, narrow end of each face is dimensioned to facilitate reaching small items and narrow or sharp corners. Each face joins at least two adjacent faces. In one embodiment, each face may have a different texture, absorbency and abrasiveness than each other face.
The hand-held pad of the present invention has ergonomic advantages over prior art devices. The hand-held pad can be easily gripped on two or more of the non-parallel faces while another face is used for cleaning. The pad has sufficient thickness to facilitate manually gripping. The pad is flexible, although the seam between each face may provide increased stiffness.
The hand-held pad is economical to construct. The hand-held pad may be formed from one component, or several components that are adhered together. For example, each of the faces may be formed from a separate component, then adhered together. No central core is required.
Thus, an object of the invention is to produce a multi-faced hand-held pad that may be used to perform the function of washing, rubbing, waxing, polishing or applying liquids or semi-liquids to surfaces in a traditional fashion. It is another object of the invention to provide a multi-faced hand-held pad wherein each face has a different material with different abrasive and/or absorbent qualities. Another object of the invention is to provide a long lasting multi-faced hand-held pad with improved ergonomic design and improved effectiveness for reaching small or confined areas with difficult access. Another object of the invention is to provide a multi-faced hand-held pad that is economical to manufacture.
These, and other, embodiments of the invention will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following description, while indicating various embodiments of the invention and numerous specific details thereof, is given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many substitutions, modifications, additions and/or rearrangements may be made within the scope of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such substitutions, modifications, additions and/or rearrangements.